The Epic Adventures of Flynn Rider
by ItsLukasBondevik
Summary: Rapunzel thinks that Eugene should write a book. Eugene thinks she's nuts.
1. Prologue

Prologue

"And then, surrounded by vicious thugs, Flynn saw a way to escape. Taking one step back he quickly climbed his way into the rafters and broke out through the wooden roof of the bar, sliding down and jumping off into the grass, running away as fast as he could before the rest of the palace guards in the kingdom of Luna could even blink!" Prince Eugene Fitzherbert bowed before the children's clapping, the four little red haired girls watching in the utmost attention, their eyes glowing in admiration.

The youngest of them pleaded, "One more, please, Prince Eugene, one more?" He crossed his arms over his chest, contemplating and tapping his finger on his chin. The little girls held their breath, waiting for his answer, and he tilted an eyebrow at them.

"Let's save it for tomorrow," he said after a few moments, putting his hands on his hips and ignoring the disappointed groans from the girls. He laughed and said, "I have a lot of princely duties to attend to, ladies, and I wouldn't want to disappoint the Princess. She's a master of the frying pan you know." For a moment the girls were confused how cooking with a frying pan and disappointing Princess Rapunzel correlated, but Eugene gave them no time to ask questions as he hurried them home to their mother.

He made his way back through the square and saw a pair of lovely green eyes watching him intently. Eugene smiled his most dashing smile and made his way over to the girl in the purple dress with a green critter on her shoulder, his most roguish expression in place. "My dear lady, you know of all the women in the kingdom you're the only one for me?" Eugene kissed the girl's hand, eying the tasteful wedding band on her finger, and she raised an eyebrow. "The other girls, I tell them stories, but they are nothing to me, nothing." He bowed to her and she laughed, unable to keep her stoic expression.

"You're starting to sound like Flynn Rider again," Rapunzel said with a chuckle. "Is it from telling all those stories to your adoring fans, Eugene?" He took her hand in his as the two made their way back to the castle. He watched the sunset for a moment, contemplating her question.

Eugene glanced back to her and shrugged. "Flynn is always going to be a part of me," he replied vaguely. "Just because I'm a prince now, you know, doesn't mean everything before I met you didn't happen. I was a thief, I was cunning and dastardly and may I just say I was the best in the business. Don't look at me like that," he added after she made a disparaging face at his bragging. "It's the truth, I don't lie about my exploits." He winked at her and she rolled her eyes, unable to keep back a smile.

"You know, your stories are good," she admitted and he smiled as they walked through the doors, heading towards their room to change for dinner with her parents. Rapunzel picked out their clothes while Eugene watched her work, finding something nice that would compliment each other. "Hmm," she said softly, and he raised his eyebrows, wondering if she was going to share her thoughts.

"Hmm?" he questioned tilting his head to the side in amusement. "What are you thinking about in that pretty little head of yours?"

She smiled back at him. "Oh nothing," she teased, tossing an outfit to him and closing the wardrobe and a loud clang. "Change for dinner Prince Eugene." She left him in their room alone and he watched after her for a moment even after she closed the door, a stupid smile on his face as he began to put on the clothes she chose for him. He liked to think he had an excellent sense of fashion, but Rapunzel deemed his taste a little too coarse for palace life and made, yes _made_, him some new clothes. What couldn't she do?

They met up on the landing and linked arms as they made their way to the dining room where the King and Queen already sat, waiting for them. "We didn't keep you long did we?" Rapunzel said worriedly as she sat down, Eugene following suit afterwards. Her mother shook her head and smiled at her daughter and her husband. "Oh good," she sighed in relief. Eugene watched her for a moment as they all began to eat, still wondering what she had been thinking about earlier.

He actually did find out over pudding.


	2. 1: Resistance is Futile

Chapter 1

"A book?" he repeated to his wife for the twenty third time that day. Eugene's brain was working overtime trying to comprehend the idea of writing a book about his exploits as Flynn Rider. The only way he could cope was by asking the same question over and over again until he could finally wrap his brain around it. "Rapunzel, I always knew you were crazy, but this just proves it. I can't write a book. Besides, who'd read it?"

She rolled her eyes, sitting across from him in the library where she had set up a pile of blank paper and an bottle of ink and a dry quill, just waiting for him to get started. "Just write down how you talk about yourself," she suggested innocently, though he felt that perhaps from someone else that could be a bash on his ego. He wasn't quite sure with her sometimes, if she was being nice or if she was only pretending, though Rapunzel was born to be nice. "And you and I both know it'd be the most read book in the kingdom."

He shook his head, slight exasperated. "I don't know Rapunzel. I can't actually see myself writing anything like that. I've never actually written more than crass messages on public property though that was years ago," he added hastily, trying to cover up any more of his illegal exploits that she didn't know about. Eugene was lost in thought, and she watched him for a moment, waiting for him to break from his reverie and say something. He met her pleading eyes and he sighed, watching her with the utmost adoration. This girl certainly was something else. "You just want to read it don't you?"

Rapunzel looked mildly offended. "Maybe just a little," she said with a cute smile that Eugene just couldn't resist. He raised an eyebrow at her and her smile grew wider, and he couldn't help but smile with her. "Please, please, please, Eugene? Write it all down? I'm sure there's stories I haven't heard yet from your swashbuckling days of adventure and triumph!"

"You're buttering me up aren't you?" he teased, and she shrugged, her smile still huge as she squeezed his face between her hands and kissed him. "Fine," Eugene finally gave in, unable to deny those eyes anything they wanted. She had him tied around her finger so tightly, and one of these days it's gonna get him into serious trouble. "Fine, I'll write it, but on one condition!" For a moment she was taken aback, not expecting an ultimatum from him, and then tilted her head, waiting for him to continue. "You, little lady, have to stay here as long as I'm writing this, I'm not gonna be here alone. And since you're making me do it, I figure you are the best candidate!"

She huffed for a moment and looked at Pascal, who shrugged. Eugene wondered if the fro—chameleon was actually agreeing with him for once. "I'm prepared to make a deal with you," she said winking after silently communicating with her long time companion. He watched her, barely able to hide his amusement at the deja vu that statement brought to him. "I'll stay here with you when I am not needed elsewhere, and Pascal will stay with you while I'm away, only if you read it to me when you're done." Rapunzel held out her hand, and Eugene could barely control his expression as he shook her hand.

"Deal, Goldie," he said laughing at the old nickname that still seemed to crop up from time to time, his mind wheeling backwards already in time. "Now, the only question is where to start..." Eugene put his pen to the page, closed his eyes as his memories brought him back in time, passing through the two years he'd been with Rapunzel, before he even knew that she existed. Back to as far as he could remember, back when little Eugene Fitzherbert first found the novel _The Tales of Flynnigan Rider_ in the dusty little library in the orphanage.

_This is the story of my life. I am writing this down in absolute secrecy in the dead of night, in case anyone comes looking for me. This story, of adventure beyond your wildest dreams, is full of danger, clever escapes and of course, me. The handsome, sly Flynn Rider, thief extraordinaire._

"Eugene, you are so dramatic." Rapunzel's voice was light and airy as it disturbed his train of thought, and he nearly smashed his forehead against her face as she read over his shoulder.

"You wanted me to write this!" he complained, putting the pen down and resting his chin on his palm, and giving her a look. With a smile she pulled up a chair beside his desk, put the quill back into his hand and leaned against his shoulder, waiting for him to continue on with his writing. "No more interrupting?" She nodded and pretended to lock her mouth shut and Pascal then proceeded to pretend to eat the key, the two of them smiling at Eugene like they had done nothing wrong. "All righty then," he laughed.

_I was born in the summer, but as far back as I can remember, I lived at the orphanage. My parents died when I was just a baby, and I grew up on the poorer side of things. My name then was nothing of note, and I was no one of note, just another child waiting to someday, maybe get taken in by a nice couple looking for a child. When I was ten, I found a book in the library, if you could call it that, titled _The Tales of Flynnigan Rider _and I knew from the moment I started to read it that I wanted to be just like him. He had all the money he could ever dream of having, he was brave, cunning, strong, and virtuous. He had women in love with him everywhere. He was wanted and loved. _

_Everything I wanted to be._

_So from that day forth, I insisted that everyone there call me Flynn Rider. I created a new persona for myself, something to strive for and something to dream about, and as I grew older, girls started to notice me more, and I felt more and more like the hero from the story. When I turned 18 and moved from the orphanage, I had all the skills I needed. The stealth of a cat, the wit and charm of the best of the rogues, devilish good looks, a clever mind to get out of any situation no matter how big or small, hopeless or dark._

_And that, dear reader, is the beginning of some of the greatest adventures of my life._

AN: I reviews are greatly appreciated, as well as constructive criticism!


	3. 2: Look Before You Leap

Chapter 2

"That is way too short for a chapter, Eugene." He hand hovered above the page as he glared at the wall ahead of him, Rapunzel completely oblivious to her outburst and the consequences it had. He raised an eyebrow at her, and inked her nose so fast she had no time to react. "Hey!" She picked up the jar of ink and dipped her finger in, scribbling on Eugene's face, giving him a mustache. Pascal snorted gleefully, and Eugene frowned, drawing a unibrow across Rapunzel's forehead.

"There, now you look like a thug princess," he said cheerfully.

She replied, "Now you look like a member of the palace guard."

He grimaced. "Well we can't have that can we?" They burst out into laughter and moved to the nearest sink to rinse their faces off, smearing black ink all over the white porcelain. After drying off, Eugene sat down at the table and cracked his knuckles, giving his wife a look. "Now, dear, please. That is just a prologue, you know the beginning of a story. I'll write a full chapter next, this part is really good." She exchanged a look with Pascal and scooted next to him on his own chair, waiting for him to continue.

_The day of my eighteenth birthday started with a heist. Not exactly a great birthday present, however, in my defense, I wasn't looking for something so devious. Sure I had nicked some food from the vendors on the palace grounds and grabbed a few nonessentials, but nothing big. Nothing even remotely important as a few that I would eventually be succumbed to. This starts and a location well known as the Snuggly Duckling._

_This pub, on the outskirts of what is good and clean in Corona, perhaps is one of the filthiest joints in town. Of all the places I could have decided to go for my birthday, this was the one I had to choose, wasn't it? I had no friends as all the children I had bonded with at the orphanage were now long gone, no family, I was alone, and that's how I would live for a very long time, so I figured I might as well get used to it. With a few coins in my pocket and a desire to be a bit of a deviant, I entered the pub like I owned the place, though at that time, I still was a bit of a scrawny teenager, and didn't look like much. When the door opened, the occupants, though ghastly, didn't question my entry._

_I ordered a drink from the bartender, and looked around the location, trying to avoid the suspicious eyes on me as I took in my surroundings. A good thief always knows that he should be aware of all entryways and exits, and that's what I did. Windows, doors, a cellar, though that probably wouldn't come in handy. I took a huge gulp of my drink and resisted the urge to cough, trying to seem tough even though I'd never had anything like it before._

_A group in the corner caught my eye, talking in low voices and arguing between themselves about something, though what is was I couldn't hear of the din of everyone else in the place. I figured that it didn't matter, and ignored it, but boy how wrong I was._

"_Hey, kid." Unused to be addressed as such, I turned around to see a tall, lanky man stand nearby me, his arms crossed. I pursed my lips, wondering what he wanted, before downing the rest of my beverage, and walking over to him, my tough persona wavering with each step. He was a scary looking guy with short cropped black hair and the dirtiest clothes of anyone else, which was saying a lot. I suddenly felt overdressed and much too clean compared to the rest, but I would learn, that is a great advantage to have in some situations._

_I leaned against the wall by him, glancing up from under my hair and asked, "What do you want?" My voice stood firm, though I was sincerely scared out of my wits._

"_Looking to make a few coins?" he asked me, motioning to his colleagues._

_I shrugged, appearing nonchalant, and replied, "Sure, why not." And so I followed that man to the table with his so called friends, I listened to what they had to say, what they were planning to do. It was something that would be the beginning of me being wanted over several kingdoms, dead or alive._

"So my crown wasn't the first royal treasure you stole was it?" Rapunzel's voice broke through his thoughts, and he realized he stopped writing for some time before she spoke. He glanced at her, her curious green eyes looking divine compared to the bland paper he had been staring at for what seemed like hours already, but he knew it couldn't have been so long.

"Nope," he said, stretching his arms out in front of him and tossing the quill down on the desk. "Not by a long shot, Blondie." She cocked an eyebrow and Eugene laughed, brushing her lovely brown locks out of her face, tucking them behind her ear. "Sorry, Rapunzel, some habits are hard to break. Should I call you Freckles instead?"

She rolled her eyes. "Rapunzel suits me just fine, but thanks for your concern," she teased, kissing his cheek and pulling him away from the desk. "Let's get food, I am so hungry!" He nodded at her, and the two of them made their way hand in hand to the kitchens looking for a morsel to snack before lunch. For a moment Eugene couldn't decide what to eat as he shifted through what the cooks had left out for this very purpose, but he picked up an apple and rebounded it off his elbow to his princess, grabbed one for himself. "This is a tame choice for Flynn Rider!"

"It's not because I want to," he replied dramatically. "I ate myself silly the first two weeks here, I don't think I can handle anything fancy right now." He took a bite out of his apple and linked arms with Rapunzel as they walked slowly back to the library.

"You don't have to do this," she said suddenly, as he reached for the doorknob. He paused, glancing down at her. "I mean, I sort of forced you to start writing," she began to play with her hair, a sure sign that she was incredibly nervous, "so if you want to stop, I won't make you keep writing." Eugene laughed loudly, shocking her for a moment, and pulled her into a one armed hug that nearly squished Pascal.

He replied, "Don't even worry about. I'm actually starting to enjoy myself going through these old memories. I was just worried you were going to get bored sitting there with nothing to do but read what I'm writing." Rapunzel shook her head.

"Not in the least Eugene."

"Then stop complaining," he said brightly, leading the way back into the library. The two cozied up on the bench seat, looking back to the manuscript. Pascal settled himself on top of Eugene's head, curious as well, and he picked up the pen again. He reread what he had written previously, trying to get back into that moment, to get every detail just right. If Rapunzel wanted to be the first to read it, it needed to be just perfect for her.

"_I've got us our sneak," the man said confidently, almost tossing me onto the table and causing me to get the wind knocked out of my lungs. I couldn't reply for a moment as the rest of the thieves looked at me closely, trying to decide if they could trust me. I, a scrawny little boy, barely a man, of eighteen, must have seemed like quite a joke to them, but still, usefulness was hard to come by._

"_He's the right size," another man mused, poking at my clothes, noting how skinny I was. This was well before I grew more into my height and build that I am now, so I truly wasn't more than a pretty face. Admittedly, this wasn't my fault because when did I really ever need to build muscle while at the orphanage? Washing dishes, doing laundry, moving furniture occasionally didn't really do much for my physique._

_I was snapped from my musings when they all murmured their agreement, and I suddenly felt like I may, possibly, have been in way over my head._

AN: Oh Flynn, you're starting trouble young man. Reviews are welcome. I got the nickname Freckles from _Lost_'s Sawyer. I thought it was cute.


	4. 3: Opportune Moments

AN: I imagine Eugene being left handed while he writes, because he fought Max with the frying pan in his left hand. I hope I'm right!

Chapter 3

_It was the dead of night, the only light we had to go by was the half moon sitting lazily on the horizon. I had been enlisted by a band of thieves to be, what they called, a "sneak." My heart was pounding but I was pleased to see that among them, I was definitely the quietest, the stealthiest, and that gave me an odd sense of pride. Who knew that sneaking out every night from the orphanage would come in handy, even if it wasn't the most endearing of situations?_

_Our footsteps were barely heard through the forest, not using the road, because really, what self respecting villain uses a _road_? It was unheard of. I didn't really know where I was, but I knew I was farther from home than I had ever been in my entire life. My feet began to ache from all the walking, but I wouldn't complain, not in this company of rogues that I knew were tougher and scarier than I was but would never admit to. Suddenly, the dark haired man stopped walking, his eyes narrowed, his mouth set in what seemed like a sneer but I had begun to realize was a show of excitement. "Boys," he grinned. "We have arrived."_

_I peeked around his hulking form, and saw that we, indeed, had arrived at a rather large mansion on the outskirts of what I later learned was the neighboring kingdom of Luna. I found myself shaking in my boots—figuratively of course, because your humble narrator did not show fear—as we walked closer. Admittedly, I felt the need to run, far away from this place, this situation, but the allure of untold riches promised by the dark haired man and his cohorts was too much to ignore. The four of us stopped as the forest ended, and he turned to me._

"_Kid," he said, and I nearly didn't respond, but realized he was talking to me and looked at him, a hand on my hip. "See that window down there?" My eyes followed where he was pointing, and I noticed there was a small cellar window, barely above ground level, and knew that was why they needed me and my tiny figure. "Climb in, and unlock the side door, there," again I followed his finger with my eyes, and noted a door that was most likely a kitchen side door or a door leading out to the yard. "Open the door a crack, and we," he motioned to himself and one of the other men, "will come in while he," he pointed to the last man, "will stay guard. Any questions?"_

_For a moment I was questioning the legality of the situation, but really, what had I to lose? I had nothing left for me in my old life, and there was something about this that gave me a sense of adventure that I just couldn't ignore. I shook my head and took a few quiet steps to the left, not leaving the cover of the trees, looking for the path of least resistance to the window. With a calculated burst of speed, I slid under a darkened lattice wall near a bench, and then to a line of rosemary bushes, covering half the yard in less then a minute. With another minute, I had slipped in through the window into a spacious cellar, filled with foods I had never even seen before._

_I wanted to stop right there and try as much as everything as I could, until I remembered I was unwanted in a person's house that I did not know, and I would be lucky to make it out without a qualm. _

"Is that why you ate so much when you got here, Eugene?" She had to stop doing that, or he'd never get done, but really, he didn't mind so much that she was asking questions. Her attention had been so rapt on the page, that he had nearly forgotten Rapunzel was there except for her light weight against his right shoulder. He dropped the pen and flexed his left hand, starting to feel the beginning of a cramp in his palm.

He shrugged. "I really hadn't been much for fancy eating," he admitted. "At the orphanage, we were pretty basic with our meals, and after that... well. You'll see, I'm getting to that."

She nodded and was silent as she touched his hand, holding it in her own. "I like the way you write your letters," she said after a moment, touching a dry page in interest with her free hand. "My letters are so big and loopy but yours are really small and pretty." Eugene looked at his sloppy handwriting, wondering if they were seeing the same thing on the page.

"Rapunzel," he said with an embarrassed laugh, "my writing is terrible."

"It's lovely because you can write with your other hand. Mo- I mean, Gothel taught me to write with my right hand. But you write with your left. I think it's nice." He wanted to say something, but Pascal gave him a look that said, _Just accept what you've heard._ So he did and he kissed the top of her head, wrapping his arm around her waist momentarily.

_I took care going up the stairs, _Eugene began to write again after Rapunzel had settled herself back against his shoulder, _so as not to make a noise, and slipped down the hallway. I kept my back to the wall to avoid missing anyone coming from behind me, and took slow, careful steps until I reached what I had correctly assumed to be a kitchen door. I entered the room, the hard stone floor making it harder to be quiet than the wooden panels hand with my clunky shoes and reached to unlock it when a voice interrupted me._

"_Who are you?" I froze in place, my hand inches from the brass knob, clenching into a fist. Somehow, someone had caught me already. I stood up and pushed my hair back from my face, regaining my composure, and looked back at who had spoken. For a moment I was taken aback by the lovely young thing that was standing before me in a pewter colored nightgown. She had huge blue eyes and raven black hair that extended to her shoulders, and skin the color of porcelain._

"_Leaving," I said quietly, taking a step back from the girl. She didn't reply, her eyes still fixated on my face and I realized that she found me rather attractive. "But, my fair lady," I said, playing up my advantage, "I would hate to leave you with nothing at all." I opened the back door silently and slid it open for the other men waiting for me outside. I took her hands in mine, and pressed my lips to them, making her cheeks flush pink. "My lady, what is your name?"_

_She whispered, her heart pounding in her chest, "Nadia."_

_As I spoke, I took steps out of the room, wheeling her backwards slowly so she would not notice we were going anywhere at all. "A beautiful name for a beautiful girl," I mentioned seriously, turning her back to the kitchen so she would not see the men walking in. She giggled, looking embarrassed, and I tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear. "Perhaps it was fate that we met," I said dramatically. "I was merely look for a bite to eat, but instead I found a women beyond my wildest dreams."_

_Almost as quickly as they came in, I saw them leave and I dropped the girl's hands. "However, my dear Nadia, it is not to be. Perhaps we'll meet again." I rushed out the door, and she did not budge, watching after me as I clicked the door shut behind me and hurried up to the forest, nearly out of breath from running so fast. The two thieves had huge burlap sacks of goods, whatever it was, I never found out. All I knew was that the adrenaline was surging through my veins, the excitement of evading capture was incredible. And that I wanted to do it again; soon._

_We darted into the forest, away from the house, and back towards Corona, the goods clunking against each other loudly as we went. Soon, we slowed down, and I found myself told to wait outside of a rather ratty looking home, one of the first on the edge of Corona's borders. I did as I was told, wondering what exactly was going on inside the place, when the door opened and they exited, holding bulging sacks in their hands._

_The dark haired man dropped one of the bags into my hand, and inside I heard the rattling of coins, clanging against each other. Suddenly, I realized I was holding more money than I had ever had in my entire life. For a moment, I thought I was going to cry, but I knew that I had to keep it inside. This was one of the greatest days of my life. "Pleasure doing business with you."_

"_Pleasure's all mine," I told him haughtily, preparing a speedy exit. I don't think I could wait to spend that money._

"_Hey." I paused in my step, and looked around at him. "What's your name kid?"_

_I opened my mouth, my lips forming around the 'Eu' sound I was fully prepared to make, before it occurred to me that perhaps it wasn't the most intimidating bandit name. My brain backtracked to my self declared nickname as a child and I knew exactly what I was going to become. "Flynn," I said with a grin. "Flynn Rider."_


	5. 4: Living for Yourself

AN: OKAY. I am almost POSITIVE that Flynn is left handed. I saw what I assume is a promotional picture from the movie where he is sword fighting with Maximus and the sword is in his left hand. He's gotta be. Right? And the Tumblrfolk seem to agree :'D

Chapter 4

"Excuse me," a voice interrupted, and Eugene rubbed his hair, turning to see who had put a damper on their time together. He turned to snap, but saw the clever green eyes of the queen herself, standing in the doorway. Leaping to his feet, he pulled Rapunzel up with him, bowing with some unnecessary flourish to his mother in law. "Hello, Eugene. Can I borrow my daughter for a moment?"

"Sure, sure," he said with a smile, gently pushing Rapunzel in the general direction of the door. "We were just getting to the good part, but I'm sure Pascal can keep me company right?" His wife looked distraught as the queen took her hand, looking interested.

"Best part?"

Eugene nodded, throwing a hand behind his head. "I'm writing a book!" he said brightly, and Rapunzel's mother raised an eyebrow to him, looking disbelieving. "I really am!"

"It's about him," Rapunzel added, her expression excited.

The queen laughed loudly and her daughter joined in, though she wasn't sure what the laughter was about. "Oh, I see. That makes more sense." His expression fell, and he looked rather hurt at their accusations. He took Pascal and set him on the desk next to his hand, shooting him a glare that he returned with gusto. A warm pair of arms wrapped around his shoulders and Rapunzel kissed the back of his head.

"I'll be back soon," she told him, taking her mother's hand and exiting the room.

Eugene sighed and prodded Pascal with his finger. "Guess it's just you and me." The chameleon didn't look to happy about this revelation and he stuck his tongue out at Eugene, making the prince sigh. "We have known each other for _three years_," he said with a dramatic tone. "And you still hate me." He shrugged and Eugene grimaced. "I'm not going anywhere you know." Pascal rolled his eyes and Eugene shook his head. "Why am I even talking to you?"

Cracking his knuckles he turned back to his papers.

_It wasn't long until I was back in the city, my side pouch heavy from the spoils of my very first job as a thief. I felt pretty good about myself, looking around at the stalls, wondering what I was going to do first. There was a lot of stuff that I wanted, that I could eat, the world was my oyster and I could finally prove it. I had skipped over the Snuggly Duckling, which would have been the obvious choice, to find something of more refined tastes._

_I entered a pub and was met by the glitz and glamour of the Corona elite, but was not phased by the sneers at my ratty garb and unkempt appearance. The honesty of the matter was, though, I bathed nearly every day if I could help it. I liked to be clean, unlike most of the other bandit types that I became associated with in the next few years. My clothes weren't dirty, just well used; I wasn't the type to wear something once and get a new outfit. Though that was mostly because I couldn't afford it. But I digress._

_I ordered myself an ale, and the barkeep gave me one, his expression less haughty than the rest of the crowd. I couldn't say that I went because I wanted to feel more refined; no, I went to make the rich feel uncomfortable and perhaps a bit unruly. I drank little by little, the taste of a finer brewed beverage not beyond my ability to recognized, so I savored every last drop. After a while though, I felt bored. This was not my idea of a bar. It was too quiet, the company too sophisticated, and not enough bar fights to keep me wanting to stick around for very much longer._

"_Hello gentleman," I started to say, and it caught the attention of everyone in the quiet bar. They all looked at me, their fine clothing and jewelry and everything a tad bit intimidating, but hey, what did I care? I was Flynn Rider, and I wasn't scared of anything. "Nice day isn't it?" I continued, swiveling around in my stool. There was no reply from anyone, but I kept talking anyway. "The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and hey would you look at that? We're all drinking here together." I was babbling like an idiot, but my mood was too good to just keep it to myself._

_Still no one spoke, and I tilted an eyebrow, wondering if these idiots even knew how to enjoy themselves. I guess my tastes weren't high brow enough for this place._

_I paid for my drink, plus a generous tip for the barkeep, and I hopped down from the stool. I needed a place less stuffy. As I began to leave, a man stopped me, and I looked at him, feeling irked. Something about his face was familiar, but I couldn't place it. I didn't get much of a chance to think as he interrupted my thoughts by asking, "What is your name?"_

_For a moment I was stunned, but I replied, feeling a bit cocky, "Flynn. Flynn Rider."_

_The man's face grew dark, and he gripped my arm tightly. "You bastard, someone get the guards." For a moment I was stunned, then I realized where I recognized him. He had the same features as the girl from last night, what was her name? I couldn't remember at the time, but this man, her father, obviously was not happy with me. "She followed you," he said with a sneer, and I frowned._

"_Who did?"_

"_Nadia!" he growled, and I almost jumped, but managed to keep my nonchalant expression. "She followed you, hoping you would come romance her some more, heard your name." Women were unbelievable, I had decided then. Never trust them, never get attached to them, because if they weren't robbing you for all your worldly possessions they were ratting you out to—_

Eugene felt something wet and slimy stick in his ear and he shrieked, nearly throwing Pascal across the room in his fit. "What was that even _for_?" he demanded and Pascal glared at him and scurried back onto the desk. He pointed his tail to the last line, and Eugene furrowed his brow, trying to understand what the little green thing was telling him. He reread what he wrote and looked back at Pascal, confused.

"You're worse than Rapunzel with the interruptions," he sighed, but Pascal's irritation was not so easily moved aside as he flicked ink at Eugene's face. Eugene picked up Pascal and brought him eye level, but the creature looked legitimately angry, so he turned back to his page again ..._i__f they weren't robbing you for all your world possessions they were ratting you out to..._

"Oh. You know Pascal, I'm not talking about Rapunzel. That was me from six years ago, when all I knew was women like that. Blondie is a whole new kind of lady." Pascal didn't look convinced as he turned a very nice crimson that Eugene couldn't help but admire. The prince rested his hand on his chin, his amber eyes looking rather sincere as he frowned at the chameleon. He turned green again, clamoring up on Eugene's shoulder and watching his face curiously. "I love her," he said with a half smile. "More than anything. She's changed my perspective on a lot, Pascal."

The chameleon made a whirring noise that Eugene assumed was of approval. He picked up where he left off, and Pascal watched as he gathered his thoughts, but he paused, looking at the chameleon closely. "You can read?" he asked cautiously. He shrugged and nudged Eugene with his tail. Still rather suspicious, he started to write.

_...the authorities. I knew that I didn't have much time before I was in trouble, so I grabbed the nearest glass and thrust the contents into the man's face. He fell backwards, and I managed to pull out of his grasp, running as fast as I could away from the establishment. Needless to say, they wouldn't want me back there again after all the ruckus I caused._

_I found myself finally stopping deep into the forest, nearly passing out from running so far, so fast, and collapsed on the ground. __I needed to get in better shape, I realized then, and carefully hid myself away behind a patch of tall grasses in case anyone came looking for me there. I heard shouts from far off, but none of them came close to me._

_So, exhausted, I slept._


End file.
